UFO ROUNDUP

Volume 3
Number 50
December 15, 1998

Editor: Joseph Trainor

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LODGE CAMERA RECORDS DAYLIGHT DISC FLYBY IN PACIFIC NORTHWEST

On Thursday, November 12, 1998, at approximately
3:43 p.m., the security videocamera at Sun Mountain
resort in the Methow Valley near Winthrop, Washington
state captured the image of a luminous daylight disc as
it flew towards the mountains of the Lake Chelan/
Sawtooth wilderness areas.

Sun Mountain is located about 130 miles
(208 kilometers) northeast of Seattle.

The photo shows the corner of the resort's
balcony and the UFO some distance away, flying in
front of a rampart of clouds, about 20 degrees above
the mountains on the horizon. The UFO looks like
a white self-luminous oval.

No witnesses were reported present when the
security videocam captured the image.

The photo can be viewed at the Methow Valley
website, located at http://balsam.methow.com/

Photo reproduced below in case it is no longer available at the Methow Valley site - John (UFOINFO)

GLOWING FIREBALL SEEN BY HUNDREDS IN GEORGIA

On Sunday, December 6, 1998, shortly after 11 p.m.,
a very bright "glowing fireball" streaked through the night
skies of Georgia and was seen by hundreds of people.

FOX-TV in Atlanta interrupted its 11 p.m. broadcast
of The X-Files to present a special report on the
"glowing fireball."

One woman described the fireball as "like a meteor
only 100 times brighter than anything I have ever seen."

The UFO traveled across the sky from east to west
and was seen between Jonesboro (population 3,635),
a small city on Highway 54 approximately 11 miles
(17 kilometers) south of Atlanta, and Rome, Ga.
(population 30,326), located 66 miles (105 kilometers)
northwest of Atlanta.

One man, J.P. Akin, witnessed the event in his
hometown of Griffin, Ga. (population 21,347), a town on
Highway 19 about 50 miles (80 kilometers) south of
Atlanta. Akin reported, "Something very bright flew
across the northern horizon, toward Atlanta. I didn't
see it personally, but I did see the residual light from
my bedroom window. It appeared orange and red and
lasted about one minute or a little less and died out.
It did spook the neighborhood animals, though. Many
dogs up and down the road were barking at this time."

The mass fireball sighting followed closely on the
heels of two other UFO events in Georgia.

On Saturday, December 5, 1998, "the night
supervisor of a local health care facility" in Kennesaw
"said that about 1 a.m. several employees had observed
unusual lights in the clouds overhead. She went out to
look and observed four to six bright white lights
circling in the thick cloud cover overhead...The lights
were white, round, about the size of a basketball at
arm's length. They were moving fast and would come
together, separate and continue to circle. She stated
that all the TVs in the facility went out during this time."

The previous day, Friday, December 4, 1998, MUFON
investigators William Lester and David Brown traveled to
Douglasville (population 11,635) and the nearby town of
Hiram (population 1,389) to interview UFO witnesses.

While Lester and Brown were there, they observed
three UFOs themselves. The first, they reported, "was a
cone-shaped object, blue on top and yellowish on the
bottom, moving quickly out of our telescope's field of
view within five seconds." The second was "a round
object with a blue coloration and a black core." And
the third was "a glowing red object traversing the sky
from horizon to horizon."

Douglasville and Hiram are on Highway 92, located
about 22 miles (35 kilometers) west of Atlanta. Lester
and Brown will be returning there this week with
videocameras to continue their investigation. (See
Filer's Files #49 for 1998. Many thanks to George A.
Filer of MUFON for their stories. And thanks to Errol
Bruce-Knapp and J.P. Akin for the "fireball" story.)

MANY UFO SIGHTINGS WERE REPORTED IN PENNSYLVANIA

For the past month, UFOs have appeared over
many cities and towns in Pennsylvania.

On Wednesday, November 11, 1998, at 9:30 p.m.,
a witness observed "a white fireball" crossing the sky
from east to west near Greensburg (population 16,318)
and Jeannette (population 11,221), two suburbs about
12 miles (18 kilometers) east of Pittsburgh. "Debris
and white sparks were falling from it as the object
passed through the sky."

On Monday, November 16, 1998, in Penn Hills,
another Pittsburgh suburb, "a motorist observed four
UFOs over a 10-to-15-minute period. The objects
were reportedly square-shaped, were at a low altitude
and displayed red flashing lights and three white lights.
One object reportedly moved closer to the witness
before moving off. No sound could be heard from any
of the objects."

On Sunday, November 22, 1998, witnesses in
Allentown, Pa. (population 105,090), a large city on
Interstate Highway I-78 approximately 66 miles
(105 kilometers) north of Philadelphia, "reported
sighting five silver disc-shaped objects moving at a
high rate of speed from west to east. Their observation
lasted 25 seconds."

On Tuesday, November 24, 1998, at about 3 p.m.,
a motorist in Wilmerding, Pa. (population 2,222), a
town on Highway 130 just east of Pittsburgh, noticed
two contrails in the blue sky as he drove along. The
contrails formed "a perfect X." Pulling over to the side
of the road, he left his car "and noticed a silver-gray
object (like the fuselage of a helicopter) that rose
straight up from the contrails and quickly speeded
through the sky above them. It then shot straight
down into the contrails and then it was gone from
sight. The object displayed no contrail." (Many thanks
to Pennsylvania ufologist Stan Gordon for these
reports.)

TWO UFOs SEEN OVER KIRKCALDY, SCOTLAND

On Friday, December 4, 1998, at 2:50 p.m.,
insurance agent Andrew Caterer was at his office on
Queen Street, just around the corner from St. Andrew's
Square in Edinburgh, Scotland's capital, when he
spotted something unusual outdoors.

"I have a view from my attic-type window across
the Firth of Forth (northward) over to Fife," he reported.
"This afternoon I was talking to a colleague, and I was
looking out across the Firth. The view was clear, and
the sky was still light. I observed two lights roughly the
same colour as a streetlight, but their distances were
difficult to judge. However, they appeared to be over
Fife," and he estimated them to be "a few miles west
of Kirkcaldy," a city on the Firth's north shore about
20 miles (32 kilometers) north of Edinburgh.

"It was as if the sun, which was high in the sky,
was reflecting off metal. The lights when I first saw
them appeared to be close together. As I watched
them, they both moved fairly quickly--slow enough
to follow their progress yet quick enough not to be
conventional aircraft. I watched them for about a
minute. Two of my colleagues also observed them.
Their movement was wholly erratic. I could estimate
the lights to be the size of a pearl, if it was held out
at the end of my arm's length." (Many thanks to
Dave Ledger of UFO Scotland for this news story.)

THREE UFOs SIGHTED IN EASTERN AUSTRALIA

On Friday, December 11, 1998, at 7:55 p.m.,
E. Marshall was lying on Maroochydore Beach,
Queensland, Australia, skywatching, when he
spotted some UFOs.

Marshall "saw three lights half the size of his
little fingernail, creamy white in colour." He
reported, "I was lying down on the beach, listening
to (Christmas) carols next to my wife, (Seasons
are reversed in the southern hemisphere, so it's
summer right now in Australia--J.T.) looking up at
the sky. It was a very clear night. I could see all
the stars. Then, all of a sudden, I saw three objects
move quickly into my view, all at once. I thought at
first it might be a plane. Then it moved in the
opposite direction so fast, I thought, Wow! That's
no plane! I shouted at my wife to look. We watched
two of the objects do manoeuvres for 40 seconds."

The first UFO, he added, "was doing what looked
like a question mark movement, then disappeared."
The second "did a zigzag and went southeast," while
the third "disappeared for a second, then reappeared
and went in a westerly direction." (Many thanks to
Diane Harrison and Robert Frola of UFO Investigation
Centre--Queensland for this report.)

WEIRD ANIMAL SURPRISES PAIR IN WISCONSIN

On Saturday, December 12, 1998, at 4:45 p.m.,
teenagers Michael M. and Jerance F. were walking
along the Wisconsin Central Railroad tracks in
the west end of Manitowoc, Wis. (population 32,520)
when Mike heard an unearthly scream.

"It was just past dark," Mike reported, "It was
near the railroad, over the rails...Then I heard the
most horrifying sound in the world. It was a deep
roar, screeching deep, and it was a growl."

As they turned, they saw "a large creature
rising behind us, maybe 45 yards to the south.
Then it moved toward us, and we ran fast, faster
than we ever have in our lives."

Mike's mother, Debbie, corroborated her son's
report but added that the creature may not have been
a Bigfoot. "But for the most part he did see some
kind of white, dirty furred animal that made the most
bizarre noise he had ever heard. His friend also saw
this animal. At first they thought a train was coming
and that the sound was from that. But then they
looked and they did not see a train. They heard its
weird sound and that's when they saw what they did."

Manitowoc is a port city on Lake Michigan
approximately 84 miles (134 kilometers) north of
Milwaukee. (Email Interview)

(Editor's Note: Manitowoc is reputed to be another
"corner" of the Lake Michigan Triangle. Among the
mysterious events here were the disappearance
of airliner Northwest 2501 in June 1950 and the
disappearance of the steamship Alpena in 1880.
Like its sister city across the lake--Ludington,
Michigan--Manitowoc is no stranger to unusual
phenomena.)

UNITED NATIONS CALLS EMERGENCY Y2K MEETING

On Thursday, December 10, 1998, "representatives
from at least 80 nations, and possibly as many as 120,"
arrived at United Nations headquarters in New York City
"to confront the so-called Y2K problem."

"The Gartner Group, leaders in Y2K analysis
worldwide, reports that no more than two dozen
nations are actively working on the problem."

"'The consequences of unpreparedness in any one
country can rapidly spill over to other parts of the
world,' says Pakistani Ambassador Ahmad Kamal,
the conference organizer."

"If the computers of one nation's banking system
fail, for example, they could cut off transactions with
gold partners and rupture the worldwide electronic
flow of cash."

"'The goal is to work together to identify and
address issues that go across borders,' says John
Koskinen, who chairs the U.S. government's effort
to prepare for Y2K."

UN "organizers require that every nation taking
part (in the conference) must name an official who
will attend the session and serve as that government's
Y2K leader." (See USA Today for December 10, 1998,
"U.N. confronts global shortfalls on Y2K" by M.J.
Zuckerman, page 1.)

On Friday, December 11, 1998, the conference
delegates "encouraged Mr. Kamal and the other
organizers to coordinate the sharing of information
and contingency plans."

"Ronald Ball, a British Telecom official representing
the International Telecommunications Union (ITU, a
United Nations agency, bluntly named countries that
had failed to respond to requests for information about
how their telephone operations are being updated.
Some present said Mr. Ball cited not only developing
countries but also wealthy nations like Italy and,
despite Mr. Kamal's prominent role, Pakistan."

John Koskinen, chairman of the (USA's) President's
Council on the Year 2000 Conversion, told the delegates,
"We have two years' worth of work to do in a year's
time."

"Acknowledging that with just over a year until the
brunt of the problems hit, some failures are inevitable,
the group spent much of the day discussing how
nations can develop contingency plans."

"One suggestion was to set up 'SWAT Teams'
that could move swiftly into the hardest hit areas
with technical assistance." (See the New York Times
for December 12, 1998, "Nations urged to prepare
for 'Millenium Bug'" by Barnaby J. Feder.)

(Editor's Comment: SWAT Teams, eh? Forget NATO.
It looks as if the UN itself is taking control of
Operation Abacus, the military response to Y2K
rioting already adopted by Canada, the UK and Israel.)

ENDEAVOUR CREW FINISHES WORK ON SPACE STATION

Spacewalking astronauts Jerry Ross and Jim
Newman successfully completed all three of their
planned extravehicular activites (EVAs) last week.

On Monday, December 7, 1998, at 5:10 p.m.,
the two Endeavour astronauts "breezed through a
series of tricky electrical patches" and "installed
40 electrical and data connectors by 9:25 p.m."

"The connectors installed Monday linked the
U.S.-built connecting tunnel Unity and the Russian-
built power module Zarya."

"The crew got so far ahead of schedule that
they did some of the work set for Wednesday's
spacewalk, bolting handrails to the side of
Unity for future spacewalkers to use."

On Tuesday, December 8, 1998, Endeavour
commander Robert Cabana "fired the shuttle
thrusters to climb to an altitude of 248 miles,"
about six miles (10 kilometers) higher than before.

"The seven-story, 35-ton station swung back
and forth a half-foot (6 inches) or more in
Endeavour's cargo bay, its solar wings flapping,
as the shuttle moved higher and higher."

"The astronauts kept close watch on the
stack during the 20-minute ride, carefully spacing
out their thruster pulses to reduce the stress."
(See the Boston, Mass. Herald for December 9,
1998, "Astronauts send station to higher orbit.")

On Wednesday night, December 9, 1998,
Ross and Newman embarked on their second
EVA. "Newman rode the shuttle's 50-foot-long
robotic arm while Ross floated around the station
holding into handrails during their seven-hour
spacewalk 248 miles above Earth."

"The main task Wednesday was installing the
antennas, a job they completed in 3 1/2 hours.
The antennas are used for voice, data and low-
fidelity TV transmissions."

"Ross and Newsman attached the antennas
to opposite sides of Unity and strung a 35-foot-long
cable to wire them to electrical power from the
Russian-build module Zarya."

"Newman also managed to get an antenna
unfurled on one side of Zarya that had been
stuck since its launch last month." (See
USA Today for December 10, 1998, "Astronauts
board station today," page 3A.)

Thursday, December 10, 1998, was opening
day for the new space station. "Endeavour
space shuttle commander Bob Cabana and
Russian cosmonaut Sergei Krikalev left the
shuttle crew cabin Thursday, floated through
the tunnel that that docks it to other space
objects and stopped at the first hatch at the
base of Unity...They tugged together on the
hatch and opened a new era of space
cooperation. They then floated up through
the U.S.-built Unity docking tunnel toward
Zarya...The rest of the crew soon followed as
Cabana and Krikalev pulled open hatch after
hatch--six in all--to lead their crewmates
along the length of the 76-foot station."

"'This is an absolutely super place,' Cabana
said...'It's unbelievable to be part of such a
great program, to have all the countries working
together in space to everybody's betterment...
It's really nice to be in a new home.'"

"Krikalev had another observation: 'It's small;
we need more modules.'" (See USA Today for
December 11, 1998, "Shuttle astronauts
somersault into new dream home in space,"
page 3A.)

On Friday, December 11, 1998, the
Endeavour crew "after only a day on board...
turned off the lights and closed the doors of
the new international space station for its
release this weekend from the shuttle."

"'We sure wish we had another day,'
Cmdr. Robert Cabana radioed down. 'It's a
shame we've got to close up shop so soon.'"

The astronauts "began backing out
compartment by compartment, pulling out
the air ducts, turning off the lights and
closing the hatches behind them."

"Among the items left behind for the
first permanent residents due to arrive in
little over a year were wrenches, screwdrivers,
drills, a videoconferencing system and clothes.
There was also a surprise or two but the
astronauts wouldn't say what."

"'Something that lets them know we were
thinking of them,' Cabana hinted." (See the
Providence, R.I. Journal for December 12,
1998, "Space station sealed up as shuttle
crew bids adieu.")

Saturday, December 12, 1998, saw the third
and final spacewalk for Newman and Ross..

"On their third spacewalk, astronauts Jerry
Ross and James Newman were aiming to attach
a sack of tools to the American-made Unity
chamber on the seven-story structure for use on
subsequent assembly flights."

"They also planned to use a 10-foot pole to
try to deploy another stuck antenna on the
Russian Zarya control module...The 6 1/2 hour
outing concludes with a photo survey of the
35-ton space station." (See the New York Daily
News for December 13, 1998, "Spacewalking
astros on fixup duty.")

"Then he flew a slow circle and a half around
the station from 440 feet out so that his
crewmates could photograph it shimmering in
the blackness of space."

"'This has truly been an awesome
experience,' Endeavour commander Bob
Cabana radioed Mission Control just before the
undocking. 'It's going to be one heck of a
space station when we get it done.'"

Ross and Newman "spent 21 hours on the
three spacewalks during this mission. That
gives Ross the U.S. spacewalk record for a
shuttle astronaut. Ross, 50, has logged more
than 44 (EVA) hours on seven spacewalks."
(See USA Today for December 14, 1998,
"Shuttle finishes linkup with space station,"
page 3A.)

MARS CLIMATE ORBITER HEADS FOR DEEP SPACE

On Friday, December 11, 1998, "NASA
launched a new space probe...on a journey to
explore Mars, the first of two crafts set to leave
only weeks apart on expeditions to the Red
Planet."

"The 1,400-pound Mars Climate Orbiter
lifted off from Cape Canaveral, Florida atop a
Delta II rocket at 1:46 p.m., after a one-day
delay during which engineers fixed a software
problem."

"A camera mounted on the first stage of
the Delta II booster enabled observers to
experience a 'virtual' rocket ride, with a view
looking down through the nozzles belching
flames and smoke to the rapidly receding
Earth below."

"The first stage and the camera fell away,
as planned, as the Delta soared about 90 miles
high at a velocity of more than 9,000 miles
per hour."

"A sister craft, the Mars Polar Lander,
is scheduled for launch January 3 (1999)
bound for first landing ever in one of Mars's
intriguing polar regions in December 1999."
(See the Washington Post for December 12,
1998, "NASA launches first of two probes
to Mars.)

from the UFO Files...

1909: ANOTHER TROLLEY BUZZED BY A UFO

Continuing our look back at the "airship"
flap in New England in December 1909, UFO Roundup
presents another strange sighting of that era.

Last week we described the UFO seen by
Motorman Gary Lane and his passengers on
the trolley traveling from Marlboro to Hudson,
Massachusetts.

But that wasn't the only UFO/trolley encounter
of the flap. Read on:

"Last night (i.e. December 23, 1909--J.T.) both
of the Milford & Upton (Street Railway) crews running
(trolley) cars on the Grafton division, Motormen Casey
and Richards and Conductors Hoey and Droney saw
it near Grafton (Mass.) and even nearer to Milford
(Mass.)"

"Harry R. Rogers, foreman of construction to the
Milford & Upton, saw it while a passenger on
Conductor Droney's car. The machine was said
by some to have circle about in the air over
Grafton about 7 o'clock and then to have been
steered along the (trolley) car line south toward
Hopedale, skirting along south of that town and
then to have darted away (northeast) in the
direction of South Framingham, its searchlight
plainly visible."

"Conductor Droney said he saw the light but
could distinguish little else, so great was the
height at which the flying machine was being
operated. That it was piercing the air at a rapid
rate he judged from the fact that his attention
was called to it when at the front of his car,
the light being then far off, but before he could
run to the rear platform, it appeared to be miles
in front of the speeding electric." (See the
Milford, Mass. Daily Journal for December 24,
1909, page 1. See also Fortean Studies,
Volume 1, "The New England Airship Invasion
of 1909" by Joseph Trainor, page 66.)

FUN UFO WEBSITES:

Check out the UFO material at Dare To
Believe website. You'll find it at this URL:
http://www.geocities.com/Area51/Zone9187

Pieces of an Enigma can be accessed at
http://www.geocities.com/Athens/Atlantis/7247

Don't miss the holiday features and stories
available at our parent site, UFOINFO. Drop
in anytime at http://ufoinfo.com

Twenty-six years ago, on December 12, 1972,
Apollo 17 astronauts Eugene A. Cernan and
Harrison W. Schmitt made geological history.
While exploring the surface of the moon, Schmitt
and Cernan discovered a deposit of strange
orange soil in the shadow of a large lunar boulder.
The unusual orange-colored regolith was the
first soil of its kind ever found.

That's it for this week. We'll be back next time
with more saucer news from around the planet,
brought to you by "the paper that goes home--
UFO Roundup." See you then.

UFO ROUNDUP: Copyright 1998 by Masinaigan
Productions, all rights reserved. Readers may post
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